Air Pollution May Speed Hardening of Arteries

TUESDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- Long-term exposure to air pollution may speed up the process of atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries, a new study suggests.

Although this exposure to higher concentrations of air pollution could increase people's risk for heart attacks and stroke, the researchers noted that reductions in air pollution could have the opposite effect.

The study involved nearly 5,400 people between the ages of 45 and 84 in six different U.S. cities who did not have heart disease. The researchers examined the air pollution levels at each of their homes, and then compared the levels to ultrasound measurements of their blood vessels taken at least three years apart.

After taking other risk factors, such as smoking, into account, the researchers found that, on average, the thickness of the carotid artery increased by 0.014 millimeters each year.

Thickening of the inner two layers of this key blood vessel, which supplies blood to the head, neck and brain, occurred more quickly following exposure to higher concentrations of fine particulate air pollution. The researchers said the thickness of the carotid artery is an indicator of how much atherosclerosis is present in the arteries throughout the body.

"Our findings help us to understand how it is that exposures to air pollution may cause the increases in heart attacks and strokes observed by other studies," study leader Sara Adar, the John Searle Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said in a news release.

On the other hand, the study revealed that reductions in fine particulate air pollution can help slow the thickening of the carotid artery.

"Linking these findings with other results from the same population suggests that persons living in a more polluted part of town may have a 2 percent higher risk of stroke as compared to people in a less polluted part of the same metropolitan area," Adar said in the news release.

"If confirmed by future analyses ... these findings will help to explain associations between long-term [small particle] concentrations and clinical cardiovascular events," the study's authors wrote.

In response to the findings, Nino Kuenzli, of the University of Basel in Switzerland, said in a news release that the study "further supports an old request to policy makers -- namely that clean air standards ought to comply at least with the science-based levels proposed by the World Health Organization."

The study was published online April 23 in the journal PLoS Medicine.

-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: PLoS Medicine, news release, April 23, 2013

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Irregular Heartbeat May Speed Memory Loss in Seniors

Study found that people with atrial fibrillation showed mental declines at earlier age than those without heart condition

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, June 5 (HealthDay News) -- Older people who suffer from a type of irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation may also be more likely to experience mental declines sooner, a new study suggests.

"Problems with memory and thinking are common for people as they get older," said lead researcher Evan Thacker, a statistician in the department of epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Our study shows that, on average, these problems may start earlier or get worse more quickly in people who have atrial fibrillation. This means that heart health is an important factor related to brain health."

As with other such studies, this one established only an association between atrial fibrillation and mental decline, not a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

That's why the next step is to find out why people with atrial fibrillation start to struggle with memory and thinking sooner, Thacker said.

There are at least two possibilities, he said. First, people with atrial fibrillation may have small blood clots form in the heart that then become lodged in the brain.

"These may be too small to cause noticeable strokes, but may over time cause small damage to the brain that would eventually lead to mental decline," Thacker said.

Second, people with atrial fibrillation may simply have less blood flowing to the brain, he said.

"This could result in the brain not getting as much oxygen and nourishment as it needs, which could lead to damage over time that would result in mental problems," Thacker said.

"Currently, we do not know whether either of these two possibilities actually occurs," he said. "We would like to study it using brain imaging technology to learn more about what is happening in the brains of people with atrial fibrillation."

Eventually, if doctors and researchers can discover why people with atrial fibrillation show accelerated mental decline, they might be able to learn how to prevent the problem, Thacker said.

The report was published online June 5 in the journal Neurology.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said, "Atrial fibrillation is present in close to 3 million men and women in the United States and increases the risk of stroke fivefold compared to the general population."

In addition to the marked increase in the risk of stroke, more recent research suggests that atrial fibrillation is associated with an increased risk of mental decline and dementia, he said.

"Repetitive, small subclinical strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation may account for these findings," Fonarow said.

He said giving blood thinners to patients with atrial fibrillation is standard care to prevent clots in the heart from migrating to the brain.

Putting these patients on anticoagulants, such as warfarin or one of the newer therapies, will "likely be effective in not only reducing the risk of stroke, but also reducing the significant risk of mental decline and dementia," he said.

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Health Tip: Work Out at the Right Speed for You

Title: Health Tip: Work Out at the Right Speed for You
Category: Health News
Created: 2/26/2013 8:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/26/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Cancer Drug Doesn't Speed Up Tumor Growth, Researchers Say

Title: Cancer Drug Doesn't Speed Up Tumor Growth, Researchers Say
Category: Health News
Created: 2/7/2013 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 2/8/2013 12:00:00 AM

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